Barnett emerging in 2014 class

Brian Snow

01/15/2013

Three-star forward Jordan Barnett has been one of the players to emerge this high school season in the 2014 class.

The city of St. Louis had a banner year for talent in the 2011 class, and again it looks to be re-loading in 2014. Maybe the kid with the biggest upside is Jordan Barnett. The versatile small forward is having a big time junior year, and now more schools are coming in and showing interest in his recruitment.

At around 6-foot-7 and 190 pounds with big time athleticism, Barnett has the ability to play all over the basketball floor. So far he is doing that as a junior, and Barnett says he is focusing on one specific part of his game.

"The thing I have been working on the most have been my handles and getting to the free throw line by being more aggressive," said Barnett. "I am going to basket more so I can get those easy opportunities and get to the free throw stripe."

With that added attention on his ball handling, Barnett has taken his game to a new level this year and several new programs are really paying attention.

With schools like Harvard and Stanford showing interest, obviously Barnett is a big time student to go along with being a basketball player. He says that academics could play a huge role in his decision.

"I would have never thought that an Ivy League school would be recruiting me for basketball," said Barnett. "Especially Harvard, Harvard and Stanford are like the top two schools in the country so that is a huge deal. Academics are a big part of my selection of college, and I have to give some thought to if I want to go to an elite academic college or go to a high athletic school that still has really good academics, but not like Harvard or Stanford."

One school showing Barnett a ton of attention right now is Michigan State. The Spartans are clearly making Barnett a priority, and he likes what they have to offer.

"Michigan State is a great school, and the Big Ten is one of the best conferences in college basketball," said Barnett. "It is nice to have Michigan State recruiting me because they are one of the elite teams with one of the elite coaches in the country."

Also the in-state Missouri Tigers have been very active in recruiting Barnett, and he is giving them a serious look as well.

"Missouri is now in the SEC and that is a power conference," said Barnett. "It would mean a little more traveling, but it is nice being in the SEC. Missouri, they play pretty fast paced basketball. I am still very much thinking about Missouri and they are staying in touch a lot."

As it stands right now, Barnett remains open in the recruiting process and doesn't anticipate any kind of decision coming soon.